


Never Alone

by RavenXavier



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Old mutants in love, This is fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-07
Updated: 2012-12-07
Packaged: 2017-11-20 13:23:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/585819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenXavier/pseuds/RavenXavier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You're going to make me ask the question, aren't you ?” Erik asks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Alone

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever story both in English and in this fandom... So... Be indulgent, I guess ? 
> 
> Thank you to House of the Tardis : http://houseoftardis.tumblr.com/ for beta-reading !

The ring makes a soft sound as it fell on the table.

It's a beautiful ring, made of platinum ( _of_ _course_ ) with a strip of gold on its sides. Charles takes it carefully in his hands and looks at it more closely. It's _really_ a beautiful ring. There are words engraved inside of it. _Never alone_ _._

He doesn't know if he should smile or cry. Instead, he raises his eyes to meet the steady gaze of the man who has just sat on the other side of the table.

“Is this some kind of a joke, Erik ?” He asks softly.

“Yes of course.” Erik replies. “I took the risk to come to your school and face your students and loose all credibility forever because I wanted to _make a joke_ _._ You know me, Charles, I can never resist an opportunity to do something so foolish just to mock you.”

“Well, you’ve certainly had your moments.” Charles can't help but remark under his breath.

It's not as vindictive as he would have liked, however. His heart beats faster in his chest and, really, it's ridiculous, he's nearly eighty and he's not _supposed_ to feel that way just because after more than fifty years of a strange mixture of friendship and rivalry and love, Erik has finally decided that...

He takes a deep breath. He doesn't know what to say. He doesn't know how to act.

“You're never silent.” Erik says after a moment. “Should I be worried ?”

“I suppose it depends of what you were expecting with this.” Charles replies.

“You _know_ what I'm expecting.” Erik says, barely stopping himself from rolling his eyes.

Charles suddenly feels cheeky. He smiles.

“Do I ?”

He supposes that it says something about him that he likes the look of disbelief and annoyance that Erik gives him then so much. They may be wearing old men faces now, but this look has never changed, not once in fifty years, and it may be the one that Charles is the most used to. He turns the ring between his fingers, suddenly feeling giddy and very young, despite himself, because of course he knows exactly why Erik is here today. It doesn't mean that he's going to make it _easy_ _._ They don't know how to do easy, anyway.

“You're going to make me ask the question, aren't you ?” Erik asks.

“You have a question to ask me ?” Charles asks with his best surprise face.

Erik snorted. “You think you're so clever and charming. I should just take back the ring and leave.”

Charles' hands tighten around the ring instinctively, and Erik smiles smugly. He would very much liked to wipe the smile of his face, but he has to admit that it has good reason to be here. At this point, anyway, they're both very predictable, and while that doesn't erase the fun, it certainly helps to pick his battles more carefully. This isnot one of them. Charles will never say it out loud, but Erik has the kind of face that wearssmug a bit too well.

“It would be nice if you did it properly.” He says eventually.

“I will not get on one knee.” Erik warned him.

“Of course not. You certainly couldn't even if you wanted to.” Charles remarked. “You're old.”

“You're bald.” Erik retorted.

“Really, Erik ?”

“ _Really_ , Charles ?”

They stare at each other for a while, each trying to hide a smile and not really succeeding at it. The ring is warm in his hands. He wants to put it on his finger, but he won't, because he's Charles Xavier, and this is from Erik Lehnsherr, and they're nothing if not stubborn men. He will not surrender first, even if he desperately wantsto right now. His heart is still beating furiously in his chest. He wonders for a second how is it possible to still be so much in love with Erik after all this time, after all they did to the world and to themselves. But then, he forgets everything, because Erik sighs and looks at him very seriously.

“Will you marry me, Charles ?” He asks.

“Yes.” Charles replies.

“Open your hands, then.”

Charles does as he's told. The ring floats for an instant in front of him, then it moves towards his finger and of course the size is perfect. Charles tries very hard not to cry at the vision of the ring standing out on his old and wrinkled hand. It's harder than he thought it would be.

“If you cry, I'm not marrying you.” Erik says. “My husband won't be a sentimental fool.”

“Says the man who engraved _Never Alone_ in a ring.” Charles retorts.

“You bring the worse out of me.”

“Well, that's marriage for you, love.”

“We're not married _yet_ _._ ”

“Oh, please. We've been married for a very, very long time, my friend.”

“That's true, yes, and I'm actually asking you to marry me right now just because I want to officially divorce and be done with you once and for all.” Erik smirked.

Charles rolls his eyes.

“Before that, though, I think you forgot to do something.” He says.

“I did ?” Erik asks, raising an eyebrow.

“ _You're supposed to kiss me, now_ _.”_ He says in Erik's mind.

“ _Am I , now ?_ ” Erik smiles sweetly.

“ _When can we get the papers for divorce ?_ _”_ Charles scolds.

Erik laughs out loud and Charles, because he _is_ a sentimental fool, can't help to stare, because Erik is beautiful, even now, and he is going to be his _husband_ and it really looks surreal and too perfect to be true.

“I love you.” He says without thinking.

“You're only saying this because you want me to kiss you.” Erik retorts, but his gaze is softer and his mind replies _“_ _I love you too_ _.”_

“Well, are you ? Or have you decided that you wanted to wait until after the wedding ?”

“That would be quite hypocritical of me, wouldn't it ?”

Charles smirks. “Quite, indeed.”

Erik gets up and bends toward him. Charles raises his head and their lips met somewhere in the middle of their action, and it may be the best kiss they'd ever shared. Charles put his hand on Erik's neck, and Erik hums into the kiss, perfectly content and... smug.

Charles breaks the kiss and looks at him with pure amusement.

“Are you really smug because _I'm wearing your ring_?” he asks.

“I'm smug because you will have to explain to your dear X-men very soon _why_ you're wearing that ring, and I absolutely want to be there to see their faces.” Erik answers easily.

“Tell me you're not marrying me just to annoy my students, Erik.”

“Don't be idiot, Charles, I'm also marrying you to embarrass _you_ in front of your students.”

“Charming.”

“Isn't it ?”

Charles kisses him once more, not dignifying him with an answer. After a moment, Erik sinks to his knees and put his hands on Charles' legs for support. It was suddenly very difficult to move away from each other. Charles gets lost in the moment, and maybe a little in Erik's mind, not bothering to restrain himself anymore.

“I think,” Erik finally gasps, “that we really should leave the kitchen now.”

Charles blinks.

“You're right. We are in a school. They are children here.”

“And I'm sure you don't want to traumatizethem by letting them see what we're going to do next.”

“What are we going to do next ?”

“Celebrating our engagement, of course. We're doing this properly, remember ?”

Charles smiles, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Yes, we are. Look at you, you're even on your knees.”

He feels the arms of his wheelchair dissolve and reform around his wrists. He raises an eyebrow at Erik, whose smile is way too nice to not be dangerous.

“You're always making me do the most foolish things, Xavier. Let's turn the tables, dearest.”

Charles doesn't hide the shiver of anticipation that passes through him.

The ring is suddenly very warm around his finger.


End file.
